About

$7,004

pledged of $5,000 goal

136

backers

Erie's favorite Festival turns 25 this summer and to celebrate, we're adding another full-day of performance art and family fun! This expansion requires more resources than in previous years. Our goal is raise at least $5,000 (and hopefully more!) to help pay for the extra production expenses and artist fees while keeping the price for attending the Festival the same as has been for 25 years – free!

To do this we've created several exclusive rewards for our backers that are designed to make your experience at the Festival more fun, and easier to enjoy. Many of these rewards will ONLY be available through this Kickstarter campaign – you will not be able to buy them at the Festival itself! Check out the music, scan through the rewards and back this project for the party of the summer!

This commemorative poster by Quinn Thompson includes 25 years of designs and is available exclusively through this Kickstarter campaign. Signed by John Vanco, it is a must have for collectors and fans alike!

The Festival attracts more than 20,000 people eager to experience great music from regional talents to international superstars. This year is no different featuring bands as diverse as the hottest band in world music today, Mokoomba (see video above), to regional blues legends, Eric Brewer & Friends.

Live performance are on the main stage 2-10 on Saturday and 12-8 on Sunday. Click on the band profiles for more information!

Saturday, August 5

Sunday, August 6

This festival is all about blues and jazz so we have a special treat just for Kickstarter backers. We have put together an exclusive Kickstarter only 25th Anniversary Blues and Jazz Festival playlist featuring artists from all 25 years of the festival! This is a must for all those fans that have been attending the festival from the very start.

We know you’re gonna want to be here all day, so we have made it even easier for you. Our stylish water koozy comes with its very own supply of unlimited water! No more lugging heavy coolers from a faraway parking space. Speaking of parking spaces, we also are offering a limited amount of convenient, guaranteed parking spaces close to the event. Be sure to jump on this opportunity as there are only a few available.

The Festival is very family friendly and there will be plenty of things for kids to do! This year the event is packed full of fun and engaging performances, including Art Acts, a amazing giant puppets and masks.

Everyone will have also the opportunity to help paint a mural by Mark Weber (shown below), during a public paint day at the event. The Erie Philharmonic Jazz Instruments Petting zoo, an Ekphrastic Poetry Workshop, and many other activities including a special double-feature film from LEAF’s Movies at the Arboretum will all be at this year’s event. Of course, there will be plenty of bubbles to blow and ice-cream to eat.

Mural design by Mark Weber

Don’t miss out on buying cool stuff for the kids, like our exclusive t-shirts, and keep them rocking out to the music with their very own inflatable guitars. Both items are available in our Family Pack!

The Prime Real Estate reward offers a canopy tent set-up and stocked with Festival merch including a cooler full of necessities. The tent will be in front of the general public tent line, and offers a great view of the stage.

We’ve featured a lot of the rewards available. Here are all the reward tiers that we are offering to make your experience at the Festival even better.

Infographic designed by Monica Gustin

A special thanks to the following folks who helped to bring this Kickstarter campaign to life: Megan Ciafre, Jacob Poteet, Monica Gustin, Quinn Thompson, Colleen Dougan, Kristan Wheaton, and the Erie Art Museum staff.

The Erie Art Museum Blues & Jazz Festival is truly a team effort, and would not be possible without the help of several individuals, local businesses, and community organizations. Thank you to our sponsors:

Risks and challenges

We've worked hard to make sure every aspect of this project was well thought-out and realistic. From setting the project goal to developing the reward tiers, we're fully prepared to fulfill each order and bring this project to life.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $25 or more
About $25

Koozy of Endless Water!

No one wants to schlep water around in the hot sun. Let us do the heavy lifting! This reward buys you a 25th Annual Blues & Jazz Festival koozy and all the ice-cold water you can drink all weekend long. Keep the koozy as a souvenir of the awesome time you had!

+ our "Best of the Fest" playlist featuring great music by current and past performers from each of the 25 years of the Festival!

+ a personal "Thank you!" email!

This reward can be picked up at the Info Tent at the Festival.

The bottled water will be distributed from the Beer Tent at the Festival on Saturday and Sunday only.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $100 or more
About $100

Family Fun Pack

The Blues and Jazz Festival is one of the best family events of the summer! To make it extra special for your family, we have:
+ 4 Kickstarter exclusive T-shirts
+ 4 Festival Buttons
+ 4 Koozys of Endless Water
+ 2 Inflatable Guitars
+ our "Best of the Fest" playlist
+ a personal "Thank you!" email!
And, best of all, 1 Happy Family!

This is a pick-up reward only. Rewards can be picked-up at the Erie Art Museum Info Tent at the Festival.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $100 or more
About $100

Park N' Go

We all know this is worth its weight in gold.

The only thing at the Festival more exclusive than a backstage pass is a guaranteed parking space that's just a hop, skip, and a jump (= about 200 feet!) from the main stage good for both Saturday and Sunday!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $500 or more
About $500

Prime Real Estate

Don't worry about setting up your tent and scrambling to get a good spot, we've got you covered. This reward tier guarantees a good time by providing:
+ A reserved tent for both Saturday and Sunday, with a great view of the stage and room for 6 adults, located in front of the general public tent line!
+ 1 dedicated parking pass!
+ a cooler stocked with Festival necessities!
+ 4 Kickstarter exclusive T-shirts!
+ 4 Festival Buttons!
+ our "Best of the Fest" playlist!
+ a personal "Thank you!" email!